LOCAL
Mural
Continued from A1
Collaborating with the
building owner, she tapped lo-
cal artist and cyclist Andrew
Gettle, who has worked on
large murals. Together they
discerned the rules of the
placement, including size and
colors, and made a proposal
for a unique, interactive mural
to cover the wall.
“There are grants specif-
ically for beautifying small
towns,” Tiedemann said. “We
applied for some and received
them. Also a private donor
donated another $1,500 to-
ward the project. And one of
the best parts is that the artist
Letters
Continued from A1
Ian Crawford/Baker City Herald
Be Tiedemann displays the proposed design, at left, for the back wall
of The Trailhead. The building is at 1828 Main St., but the mural will
be on the east wall, facing Resort St. Artist Andrew Gettle started
work on the mural on July 1.
gets paid for their time.”
Gettle spends time working
for the school district as well
as shifts at the Corner Brick
Grill on Main Street. Painting
began on July 1, when initial
grids and outlines were put
down. For this project he has
designed stencils and equip-
ment specifically for the mural
construction.
“Got a lot of stencils down
and looking good,” Gettle said.
“Had to make a brush on a
9-foot piece of PVC because I
won’t be able to use the (scis-
sor) lift with the kids.”
The mural will feature,
among other things, a wind-
ing trail with hikers and bicy-
clists.
Gettle and Tiedemann plan
to open part of the creation
to the public to contribute
paint strokes to the final art-
work during the Fourth of
July weekend to allow kids
BAKER CITY HERALD • SATuRDAY, JuLY 2, 2022 A3
and passers-by to make their
mark.
“I want to say thanks to ev-
erybody for seeing our vision,”
Tiedemann said. “And a big
thanks to Carol Phillips and
all of the Baker City Down-
town design committee mem-
bers for all their support.”
The process to get a mural
painted downtown starts with
a fee to the city. From there
it must meet certain design
criteria, including a mockup
to start, no paint on historic
brick, no words and following
approved colors. Last but not
least, the project needs a will-
ing artist.
You can contact Tiedemann
at 404-993-0116 for details, or
“Failure to discontinue the harassing and intimidating activity will result in legal action being taken against
you as you have no right to be present at a private meeting or harass or intimidate those who attend or who
are members of the Baker County Republican Central Committee or the organization’s Executive Committee.”
Several other Baker County res-
idents, who like the Blands are Re-
publicans, received similar letters.
— Letter from Kevin Mannix, Salem attorney, sent to several Baker City residents on behalf of the Baker County Republican
The letter to the Blands begins
Party executive committee
with this line: “RE: Notice to Cease &
Desist from Harassment and Intim-
tral Committee or the organization’s year that Baker City Police were
March 25 forum at the Elks Lodge.
idation.”
Executive Committee.”
Rienks said a representative of the
called to a possible disturbance at a
In the letter, Mannix writes that he
Mannix’s letter continues: “If the
owner of the Main Street building
GOP event.
is assisting another Salem attorney,
above activity continues, Judge Day
where the GOP had its office then
On March 25, two officers re-
Vance Day, who “has been retained
will be forced to petition the Baker
asked the group to leave.
sponded to a complaint about au-
by the Baker County GOP Executive County Circuit Court to issue a
Rienks said he replied “of course
dience behavior during a forum
Committee.”
temporary restraining order against featuring several Republican can-
we will. You asked politely.”
Day is a former Marion County
you and the accomplices involved
He said the group then left the
didates for Oregon governor at the
judge who lost in his bid for a seat on in the above activity. He will also be
building “in orderly fashion.”
Baker Elks Lodge.
the Oregon Court of Appeals in the
obliged to sue for monetary dam-
According to police records, two
They escorted a few people from
May 17 election.
ages that will be proven during legal the Elks Lodge early in the forum,
Baker City officers responded to a
In the letter to the Blands, Mannix proceedings. Hopefully, there will
but police didn’t make any arrests or reported disturbance at the GOP of-
writes that “This letter has been is-
be no need for this type of recourse, file any charges.
fice at 3:33 p.m. on June 7. The inci-
sued to you because of your involve-
but if Judge Day has to protect his
dent was settled with no arrests.
Two other couples
ment in disrupting a private meet-
client’s interest, he is prepared to do
Debbie and Calvin Henshaw, reg-
received similar letter
ing held at the offices of the Baker
so in a court of law. This is the first
istered Republicans from Baker City,
County Republican Central Com-
Rick and Penny Rienks were
and final warning letter.”
also received a letter from Mannix
mittee on June 7, 2022.”
among those escorted out of the
The letter concludes: “You may
on behalf of Day.
But Jason Bland said the couple
March 25 forum.
confirm receipt of this letter and
Debbie Henshaw said she consid-
didn’t attend, or try to attend, that
They also received a letter from
your commitment to cease any dis-
ered the letter “extremely laughable,”
meeting.
Mannix regarding the June 7 meet-
ruptive behavior by sending an
not least because her husband was at
He said he and his wife knew
ing that’s identical, except for the ad- work during the June 7 incident.
email to Vance Day. ...”
about the meeting and parked near
dressee, to the Blands’ letter.
In her response letter, Susan
Calvin Henshaw noted his ab-
the Baker County Republican Party
Rick Rienks wrote in an email to
Bland requests “a retraction of your
sence in an email to Day, who re-
office at Main and Broadway streets.
the Herald that he and his wife went sponded, in part, “If my clients were
defamatory statements, in writing,
Jason Bland said they never left their from both of you and your client.”
to the GOP office on June 7 because mistaken about you being present at
vehicle.
as elected precinct committee peo-
Bland also uses the same phrase
the June 7 meeting, please accept my
In the response letter, Susan Bland that Mannix included his letter:
ple, “we all expected we would be
apologies.”
wrote, in reference to the June 7
welcome.”
“This is the first and final warning
In a subsequent email to Calvin
meeting, “we were not there.”
Rienks claims that Suzan Ellis
letter we will send you.”
Henshaw, Day wrote: “It appears,
“Your correspondence is defam-
Jones, chair of the Baker County Re- based upon your responses, that the
Bland’s letter continues: “If you
atory,” the Blands’ letter continues.
publican Party and a member of its
fail to confirm this request or fail to
information I was provided was in
“Unfounded accusations and lies are respond to this letter we will have
executive committee, told the Rienk- error. For that I apologize. The letter
not free speech.”
ses and others that they hadn’t been
no choice but to consider filing a
and the notice is hereby withdrawn.
Susan Bland writes that, like Man- lawsuit against you and your client
officially elected and that she was go- Thank you for clarifying this matter.
nix and Day, she is an attorney, al-
ing to call police if they didn’t leave.
immediately.”
My hope is to see this whole matter
though she is not practicing now.
Baker County Clerk Stefanie
The letter sets a July 8 deadline to
resolve in an amicable manner. We
“I understand that making ac-
Kirby certified election results, in-
respond by email.
shall see.”
cusations and involving the legal
cluding for GOP precinct committee
Jason Bland said in an interview
Debbie Henshaw said that unlike
system are serious matters, re-
people, on June 9, two days after the
that he and his wife drove to the
her husband, she did go to the GOP
quiring research and some due
meeting.
GOP office on June 7 because they
office on June 7, where she told Su-
diligence,” Susan Bland wrote. “I
Other members of the execu-
had heard that a meeting had been
zan Jones that, as a registered Re-
question whether either of you
scheduled and that some elected Re- tive committee are vice chairman
publican, she wanted to attend the
looked into this matter in a seri-
publican precinct committee people Julie McKinney; treasurer Joanna
executive committee meeting.
ous fashion.”
Dixon, who is a Baker City Council
planned to attend.
Henshaw said Jones told her she
Mannix wrote in his letter to the
“I did want to see what was going member; secretary Justin Langan;
couldn’t attend.
Blands that “Failure to discontinue
and delegates Tom Van Diepen and
to happen,” Jason Bland said.
Henshaw, like the Rienkses, said
the harassing and intimidating ac-
Keith Jones, who is Suzan Ellis Jones’ she left when the building owner
Bland, who has multiple sclerosis
tivity will result in legal action being and has trouble walking, said they
husband.
asked her to.
taken against you as you have no
Rienks said he told Suzan Jones
parked in a handicapped space. He
“I was very composed,” Henshaw
right to be present at a private meet- said he had no intention to try to
during the June 7 incident to go
said.
ing or harass or intimidate those
ahead and call police, saying “they
enter the GOP office.
She said she considers the let-
who attend or who are members of
already don’t like you for all the trou- ter from Mannix a “bluff ” and a
He pointed out that the June 7
the Baker County Republican Cen-
ble you’ve created,” referring to the
meeting was the second time this
“threat to try to get me to leave
Library
Continued from A1
Winnie-the-Pooh was the
camp’s night counselor, and
after a story the animals “sat
around the campfire and sang
some camp songs and made
s’mores!” The next library
campout for stuffed animals is
July 14 — animals need to be
at the library before 7 p.m.
Reading challenge
Grammon has a full calen-
dar with activities for all ages
centered around the summer
COVID-19
Continued from A1
Baker County had a re-
cord 646 cases during January
2022, the peak of the omicron
wave. Case totals dropped
rapidly thereafter, to 230
during February, before the
even more precipitous decline
during March and April.
Baker County’s trend is
similar to statistics across Or-
egon, where case rates have
been rising since mid April.
The number of people in
Oregon hospitals who have
tested positive for COVID-19
— not all of whom came to
the hospital due to the vi-
rus — has risen from a low
of 89 on April 12 to 418 on
June 29.
The latter number is well
below the peak during the
omicron surge and the delta
wave in September 2021,
when more than 1,100 peo-
ple in hospitals tested posi-
tive for COVID-19.
Baker County has reported
two COVID-19-related
deaths since mid-March.
There have been 50 deaths in
the county related to the vi-
rus during the pandemic.
On Thursday, June 30,
the U.S. Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention
reading program.
The reading challenge runs
through Aug. 26, and minutes
can be tracked online through
Beanstack (for a link, go to
www.bakerlib.org/kids-teens/
summer-reading-program).
Those who read five hours
will earn a free book. As read-
ers log more minutes, they be-
come eligible for more prizes.
Adults can participate too
for the chance to win gift
cards to local businesses.
Here’s a highlight of the of-
ferings at the library, 2400 Re-
sort St.:
Books, Babies and
Bubbles in the Park
10 a.m. on Tuesdays in
Geiser-Pollman Park, just
across the Powder River from
the library, through Aug. 30
Library Book Camp
Held Fridays at 10 a.m. at
the library.
Reading Rebels Book Club
This summer book club for
ages 10-12 meets at 3 p.m. ev-
ery other Friday (July 8, July
22, Aug. 5 and Aug. 19).
D&D in the Library
This role-player game is
held every other Thursday at
3 p.m. (July 14, July 27, Aug.
11 and Aug. 25).
Book Buddies
This book club for ages 7-9
meets at 10 a.m. July 13, July
27 and Aug. 24
Stuffed Animal Overnight
Campout
July 14 (bring animals be-
tween 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.)
Teen Crafternoon
July 19 and Aug. 16, 4 p.m.
Teen Movie Night
July 22 and Aug. 26, 6 p.m.
24-Hour Readathon
This challenge, to see how
many books can be read in 24
raised the COVID-19 level
for Baker, Union, Wallowa
and 12 other Oregon coun-
ties to high. A total of 24 of
Oregon’s 36 counties are at
that level, which refers to the
level of community spread.
The CDC recommends
these precautions for coun-
ties at high level:
• Wear a mask indoors in
public.
• Stay up to date with
COVID-19 vaccines.
• Get tested if you have
symptoms.
• Additional precautions
may be needed for people at
high risk for severe illness.
Although health officials
have said the reported num-
bers of infection dramatically
underestimate the actual rate,
since many people are test-
ing themselves at home, the
results of which don’t have
to be reported, the number
of reported tests has been in-
creasing in Baker County.
The daily average has in-
creased from about 20 per
day during the second half of
May, to about 27 tests per day
in June.
Chancey said that although
residents aren’t required to re-
port the results of home tests,
some people have been do-
ing so.
“That’s very much appre-
ciated, because we want to
have the most accurate infor-
mation possible,” she said.
Although Chancey didn’t
have any detailed informa-
tion, she said that anecdot-
ally, what she’s hearing about
the severity of symptoms lo-
cally is comparable to what’s
being reported across the
state and nationally — that
in general, people who test
positive are having less severe
cases than during previous
surges.
She said that’s likely due to
multiple factors. The current
omicron variants are less vir-
ulent, and many of the peo-
ple who are being infected
have some level of protection
either from previous expo-
sure, vaccination or both.
Chancey also noted that
hospitals and clinics have a
variety of effective antiviral
treatments.
“As we have seen across
the country, the COVID
cases coming into the hospi-
tal are milder than what we
saw early in the pandemic
and earlier this year,” said
Mark Snider, media, public
relations and digital strategy
coordinator for the Saint Al-
phonsus Health Care System.
“Most inpatients are able to
receive treatment and return
home after a shorter stay than
what we experienced with the
delta variant. Additionally,
with the availability of outpa-
tient therapies and anti-virals,
the vast majority of COVID
cases can be treated at home if
caught early.
“We continue to urge ev-
eryone to get their COVID-19
vaccine or booster shots, wear
masks in indoor spaces and
large gatherings, and main-
tain distancing as much as
possible,” Snider said. “We en-
courage everyone that if you
are sick and have COVID-like
symptoms you should take
a COVID-19 test and stay
home. These precautions will
help protect the most vulnera-
ble in our community.”
Vaccinations
Chancey said the health de-
partment continues to admin-
ister COVID-19 vaccines.
The department recently
received 100 doses of the
vaccine for children ages 6
months to 5 years, who be-
came eligible for inoculation
in June.
She said the health depart-
ment has scheduled at least
half a dozen or so vaccination
appointments for that age
group.
email Cabincowboy.bt@gmail.
com directly.
“(We want to) create lasting
partnerships between Baker
City, the artists and the busi-
ness community,” Tiedemann
said.
She feels that murals and
public art bring palpable value
to buildings, help to drive foot
traffic, and bolster tourism.
“Public art benefits the
community,” she wrote in her
proposal for the mural. “The
animal (sculptures set up in
several places downtown)
have brought such joy, the
people that take pictures of
them put them on facebook,
the kids that laugh at them
and want to see more.”
them alone,”
“I am not afraid of threats,” she
said.
Henshaw said she believes the
GOP executive committee, by
blocking people from meetings and
now having an attorney send letters
threatening lawsuits, is engaged in
the harassment and intimidation
that the letters attribute to Hen-
shaw, the Rienkses and the Blands.
“I have not been involved in dis-
ruptive behavior,” Henshaw said.
Jones, in a text message to the
Herald, said that Day is the execu-
tive committee’s attorney, and that
she would give him a contact num-
ber for the newspaper.
Day hadn’t responded to a re-
quest for a comment by press time
on Friday, July 1.
Letter recipient wants
accountability for those
who called police
Jason Bland said that although he
and his wife didn’t enter the GOP
office on June 7, he thinks whoever
called police for what he considers
an invalid reason “should be held
accountable.”
“We’re not violent, radical peo-
ple,” he said.
Bland also said he is upset that
he and his wife have been falsely
accused, since they were in their
vehicle during the June 7 incident.
“This is another example of peo-
ple who don’t do their homework
and start defaming me around
town,” he said. “I really don’t un-
derstand, unless you’re afraid of
losing your power.”
Bland was referring to an in-
cident in October 2021 when he
wrote a letter to Baker City Mayor
Kerry McQuisten, who is a GOP
precinct committee person, claim-
ing McQuisten defamed him by
suggesting he was drunk when he
left voice mails on her cellphone.
Bland, who is a member of the
Baker City Budget Committee, said
he sometimes speaks with slurred
speech due to multiple sclerosis.
McQuisten disputed that she
had defamed Bland when she told
Baker City Manager Jonathan Can-
non about Bland’s voice mails, a
meeting that led Cannon to send
an email to city councilors that ref-
erenced Bland’s slurred speech.
hours, begins at 5 p.m. July 22
and concludes at 5 p.m. July 23.
Hike It Baby
This activity, in partnership
with Building Healthy Fami-
lies, happens July 27 and Aug.
24 at 3:30 p.m.
Flashback Friday
Family Movie
July 29 and Aug. 12, 2 p.m.
Pamela Lee Haney
October 1, 1955 - June 21, 2022
Pamela Lee Haney, 66,
of Baker City, Oregon, and
formerly of Echo, Oregon,
passed away at her residence on
June 21, 2022. A service will
be held on August 12, 2022,
in Echo, Oregon, at the Echo
Cemetery at 10 a.m., with a
reception following at the Echo
Ridge Winery.
On October 1, 1955, Pamela
was born in Baker, Oregon.
She was raised by her parents, Cyril “Kaye” McAtee
and Jessie L. (Boyer) McAtee. Pamela graduated high
school in 1974 from Echo High School in Echo, Oregon.
She retired from her career with the United States Post
Office in Hermiston, Oregon, as a rural route mail
carrier in 2013 after more than 25 years.
Pamela was a great fisherwoman, and she loved
playing pinball. She also liked bowling, playing cards,
and watching game shows. Her favorite television
programs were “Little House on the Prairie,” “Bonanza”
and “Gunsmoke.”
Her most significant accomplishments were
raising her daughters, Kimmy and Kelly, and being a
grandmother and great-grandmother to six grandchildren
and one great-grandchild. She loved playing with her
grandchildren and watching them grow.
Pamela is survived by her daughters, Kim “Kimmy”
Evans of Boise, Idaho, and Kelly Melo of Baker City,
Oregon; siblings, Ted McAtee, Rob McAtee, Scott
McAtee, Donna Bradbury, and Brenda Hunter; six
grandchildren, Kaitlyn, 24, Jaylee, 20, Hudson, 16,
Marnie, 15, Gracie, 14, and Carter, 11. She is also
survived by her great-grandchild, Evelynn, who is one
year old.
She was preceded in death by her father, Kaye
McAtee, her mother, Jessie McAtee, and her brother,
Greg McAtee.
Should friends and family desire, memorial
contributions may be made to Tyler Campbell Memorial
Scholarship Fund through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer
Chapel at 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, Oregon 97814.
To leave an online condolence for the family of
Pamela, please visit: www.grayswestco.com.